Several years ago, a photo was taken of Nick Sirianni as he walked through the bowels of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Then the offensive coordinator for the Colts of the National Football League, the Jamestown native was decked out in a Southwestern Central School cap, sweatshirt and sweatpants.

And, naturally, his sneakers were red, white and blue — the Trojans’ school colors. Sirianni’s dress-code message that day was clear: “Remember where you came from.”

Another Southwestern alum feels the same way.

Cole Snyder, the starting quarterback at the University at Buffalo, stood near midfield at Fran Sirianni Athletic Complex on the SWCS campus late Saturday afternoon and yelled instructions to the 35 student-athletes who turned out for the first Cole Snyder Football Camp.

“Keep working guys,” Snyder implored. “Compete, compete, compete. Good! Finish!”

It was just one of many times that the 2019 SWCS graduate offered encouragement to the campers, who hailed from as far away as Middleport, New York to the north, Hornell, New York to the east and Bradford, Pennsylvania to the south. The three-hour session not only included drills, but also short talks and/or life lessons from six other members of the UB football team, including linebacker Shawn Dolac, who was the leading tackler in all of Division I last season.

But it was hard to take your eyes off Snyder, who will be entering his second season with the Bulls this fall. His booming voice could be heard from anywhere on the field and his intensity certainly rubbed off on the teenagers.

“This camp was a little bit different than your normal camp,” Snyder said. “There were not college coaches here evaluating you and you’re afraid to make a mistake. You could come out there and just let loose, learn from these college coaches, learn from these college kids, learn from these high school coaches. There was a heck of a resume here today.”

Snyder has a pretty good resume, too.

Originally recruited to Rutgers out of high school, the son of Ron and Tammy Snyder spent three seasons at the Piscataway, New Jersey campus before transferring to UB. In his first year back home in Western New York, he became the third quarterback in program history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season and helped lead the Bulls to a 7-6 record, including a 23-21 victory over Georgia Southern in the Camellia Bowl.

“I think it’s always something I wanted to do or had in the back of my mind,” Snyder said of the camp idea, “but until you really have a platform to do it, it’s hard to do something of this nature. After the Bulls had a good season last year, I thought this summer would be a good time to do it.”

The campers were outfitted with a T-shirt that read “Cecret Sauce Training,” and they also received a UB autographed schedule. Several others were the recipients of outstanding camper awards that included a Snyder UB jersey; autographed color photos of Nick Sirianni, who will be entering his third season as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles; and a mini-helmet signed by Eagles’ wide receiver Devonta Smith.

“I cannot thank the Sirianni family enough for being here and helping support the camp, helping support the local community and giving back to these kids,” Snyder said. “‘Don’t forget where you come from.’ I think (Nick Sirianni) does a great job of that.”

A portion of the proceeds from the camp was earmarked for Snyder’s “Dare to be Great” non-profit. It’s purpose is simple: to provide youngsters with the same opportunities Snyder had as he was coming up through the ranks.

“I was gifted with a great opportunity with the people I had in my life,” he said. “My mom and dad were able to provide me financial resources and other resources — like their time — to take me to camps, drive me to tournaments, pay for my travel expenses, and pay for my travel league fees and my equipment. I want to do all those things for kids in Western New York who want to play collegiate sports at the highest level. … I want kids that don’t have that opportunity not to be handicapped by it.

“When much is given, much is expected. God put me in a great opportunity to be a starting quarterback at a Division I level. I just think it’s my opportunity to give back.”

Snyder said he’d like to do another camp next summer, and given the enthusiasm of the participants, he shouldn’t have a problem generating interest.

“I’m just happy the kids had a good time,” Snyder said. “Just seeing the look on their faces and seeing them have fun and out there competing, I think was a really great experience. Obviously, there are going to be some bumps in the road in your first camp, but, hopefully, this is an every-year type of thing and we can clean it up and have a great camp next year.”

Until then, Snyder has his eyes set on the 2023 UB football season.

“We’ve got a new offense going in and a lot of new, key pieces,” he said. “I’m super excited about everything. You can just expect to see a high-powered offense out of the UB Bulls this year.”

‍